GANG IESD RMWG
As one of the co-chairs of the GANG IESD pro branch, along with Kenny Young, Scott Selfon & Alexander Brandon, I want to shed a little more light on some of the projects under development there. One of these projects, initiated & spearheaded by Alex Brandon, is the Runtime Mixing Working Group. For those of you who aren’t already active GANG members, here are the goals that this group have so far published over on the GANG forums.
IESD Runtime Mixing Working Group [IESD RMWG]
Technology Agnostic The group does not advocate or make preference of any one particular third party or proprietary system over another. All systems are welcome, all treated with equal value.
Hardware Agnostic All mixing consoles, whether software touch-surface or hardware based, are welcomed and treated with equal value as they pertain to run-time interactive video game mixing.
Publisher, Developer, Platform Agnostic Similarly, the group is not aligned to any particular publisher, developer, video game or interactive platform.
So, yeah, lots of agnosticism, but this really just outlines the non-commercial nature of the group.
The core goals of this group are as follows…
• To explore working principles of run-time mixing and tuning.
• Explore and document the various techniques used when mixing video games.
• Maintain useful published documents relating to mixing video games.
• Provide a platform for demonstrating and showcasing announced or shipped titles that employ noteworthy interactive mixing or run-time sound replacement techniques.
• To provide a platform for demos of commercial products, such as mixing desk technology or third party mixing software, which further the craft of interactive mixing.
• To provide a platform for anyone writing about, or researching, interactive mixing or run-time sound effects tuning and replacement.
• To establish a network of post-production studios that have the facilities, comprehension, ongoing involvement and expertise in the field in order to carry out interactive mixes during either important production milestones or post-production audio phases of video game development. These studios will also provide a network of potential demo spaces for the group.
• Establish post production audio mixing phase as a critical and industry recognized production milestone (sound alpha & beta dates).
• Establish industry-wide recommended reference listening levels for video game mixing via published documents with version numbers. Establish recognition at an awards level for interactive mixing. This profile-raising is a key part of an overall strategy in awareness generating value of mix for producers etc.
It is early days for the group, and as such, a very exciting time. All of the above will be happening primarily on the GANG website via the forums there, so there is ample opportunity to be involved in the discussions and contribute to furthering the art and craft of interactive mixing.
contact: iesd@audiogang.org
